Charlie Nash Is A Total Badass In Street Fighter V!

This is his happy face.

The fine folks at Capcom Unity have just released a new Street Fighter V gameplay trailer! This time, the previously teased character Charlie Nash gets the spotlight. Though formerly deceased in the series' storyline, clearly nefarious means have brought forth his resurrection.

No longer the heroic sort fans grew to love during the 1990s' Street Fighter Alpha series, Nash now comes across as a villainous badass. The corresponding gameplay looks quite promising. His classic moves have returned alongside some slick new tricks. The trailer is quite effective in making him look like an absolute powerhouse.

Transformers Masterpiece MP-25 Tracks In Glorious Digital Color!

I say!

Thanks to TFW2005's Sup3hobo, we now have a look at the upcoming Transformers Masterpiece MP-25 Tracks. Scanned from a Japanese toy magazine, the photo shows off an early look at the classic 1985 character's prototype. I must say, it looks quite promising!

The Transformers Brand Had A Strong Showing At Toy Fair 2015!

Looks like he can deal with it now, ho ho ho.

I'm almost certainly biased in the matter, but I'm of the firm belief that the Transformers brand completely stole the show at Toy Fair 2015. In effort to prolong my robot-fueled high as long as possible, I'm going to pour over as many of the eye-catching new reveals and official promo images as I can. Tag along, won't you?

Combiner Wars Voyager Proctectobot Hot Spot

While the GDO Hot Spot made from Universe Inferno was an acceptable placeholder, the firetruck Protectobot leader now has a fantastic original sculpt on the way. Once again, patience pays off!

The Combiner Wars Aerialbots Get Their Slingshot After All!

Surprise!

As featured in Castle Geek-Skull's latest Weekly Want post, Takara Tomy is bringing an actual Slingshot our way. "Combiner Wars" Superion has always looked promising, but it was definitely a bummer that one of the original crew had been replaced. I chalked up the inclusion of placeholder 'Bot Alpha Bravo to necessary cost cuts, but now I'm not sure what to think!

Transformers: Robots in Disguise Has A Much Better Name In Japan

Autobots, transform and ADVENTURE!

Yesterday, Takara Tomy updated their website with some new information on the 2015 Robots in Disguise series. The overseas name of the upcoming Prime sequel is Transformers: Adventure. I can't help wishing that was universal. I usually try not to immediately jump on board the "Japan does it better" train, but here I am doing exactly that. Sigh.

Revenge & Noodles: Street Fighter V Is A Great Mix of Intensity & Fun

She has style. She has grace.

As the Capcom Cup 2014 Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament (wherein sixteen of the year's most successful players from the "Capcom Pro Tour" circuit faced off) drew to a close, series producer Yoshinori Ono took the stage to make several announcements. Of note, he mentioned that the Street Fighter V development team has paid close attention to the feedback and analysis generated by the gameplay trailer from last week's PlayStation Experience event. Even so, there were no major confirmations regarding fan-driven topics such as a possible Guard Crush or other features.

Despite not wanting to reveal too much, the event closed with the first publicly played match of Street Fighter V. Popular SF player Mike Ross and Capcom USA's "Combofiend" took control of Ryu and Chun-Li, giving us a solid extended look at the gameplay. Lifebars, EX Meters of varying lengths, and the new Revenge Meter (which likely works similarly to the Ultra Combo Meter from SFIV) were in full display alongside fun new reveals like humorously interactive stage elements. After Ryu knocks Chun-Li into a wall at the end of a round, a bowl of noodles falls onto her head and stays there when the fight picks back up.

You want some screenshots? Have some screenshots:

Street Fighter V Gameplay Trailer: There's Something For Everyone

Chun-Li's work-in-progress match intro from Street Fighter V.

Okay, the obvious joke response to the post title is unfortunately "except for Xbox One owners." Let's look beyond that for a second.

Following up the lovingly crafted announcement trailer, Capcom released an extended glimpse at early gameplay from the upcoming Street Fighter V during this weekend's PlayStation Experience event. While there's still a lot of work to be done, the game already shows immense potential. There are glimpses of mechanics both new and old, and the speculation is already in full swing. Check out the video below!

Street Fighter V's Announcement Trailer Is A Giant Love Letter

An early look at Ryu from SFV.

In the early hours of December 5, 2014, the announcement trailer for Street Fighter V was leaked early over Youtube and various social media platforms. While there's plenty to talk about regarding the corresponding news, I'm much more taken with the video's composition. There would have been plenty of buzz even over a few seconds of cinematics and a logo, but whomever put this together took a much more involved and loving approach.

While it does contain brief glimpses of new gameplay and availability info, Street Fighter V's announcement trailer shares the spotlight with footage of the franchise's previous titles, fan artists, collectors, cosplayers, and competitive scene. SF might be a household name, but it's still a bit niche in the grand scheme. While I'd love to see it become even bigger, I'm glad to see those in charge of producing and promoting the series putting forth so much effort in honoring its past and the passionate existing fanbase.

Update: You can check out the trailer yourself below:

Street Fighter 3 "Daigo Parry" Re-created At Moment 37 Reloaded

Tech Bonus, Tech Bonus, Tech Bonus

This weekend in Fighting Games Land, the "Moment 37 Reloaded" event was all the rage. 2014 marks the ten year anniversary of the most famous chunk of competitive Street Fighter play: "Evo Moment #37" from the Evolution 2004 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament. For those unfamiliar, this refers to a match where Daigo Umehara (playing Ken) parried a Houyoku Sen Super Art from Justin Wong's Chun-Li in full. The move would have killed Umehara from chip damage even if he'd chosen to block. He seamlessly switched to a jumping parry near the end, setting up a combo that won the round.

Don't watch this with headphones.

Reignite Neo Geo Pocket Color Nostalgia With Pocket Rumble!

Pre-Alpha Pocket Rumble Gameplay.

Cardboard Robot Games' Pocket Rumble is a proposed 2D fighting game that homages the beautifully nostalgic style of handheld Neo Geo Pocket Color fighters and offers accessible, strategy centric gameplay. It can be difficult to jump into more established titles these days given their strict execution requirements and wide skill gaps between beginner and advanced players. Even something like Ultra Street Fighter IV can make for an alienating experience when someone new to the series hops into the shark infested waters of online battle. Pocket Rumble addresses this issue head on.

Greg Capullo's Batman #36 Cover Is Pure Nightmare Fuel

'Sup. I'm about to eat your soul.

I don't know about you, but I find the cover of the upcoming Batman #36 quite disturbing.

Naturally, illustrator Greg Capullo has a wealth of experience in the realm of the hellish and horrific given his many years of work on the Spawn franchise. When your story calls for casting one of the most heroic of all superheros in a creepy light, I can think of no one better to make that happen. Just look at those eyes, man. Yeesh.

The Return of Twin Peaks Is 2014's Greatest Unexpected Surprise

On October 3rd, 2014, filmmaker extraordinaire David Lynch kicked us in the face with one of the most "no way" inducing tweets to ever grace the internets:

Given the overt references to well known quotes from Lynch's cult favorite television series Twin Peaks, it was clear that this was the sign of something major. Despite the show being firmly cemented as a thing of the past, "what if" driven thoughts have long inhabited the daydreams of its legions of dedicated fans. It would appear that good things do come to those who wait, for the tweet was quickly followed by an announcement that nine new episodes are scheduled for 2016 on Showtime.

Ultron's Avengers: Age of Ultron Design Looks Solid

Yep, that's Ultron alright.

For the two of you that somehow missed it: Entertainment Weekly's upcoming issue is a San Diego Comic-Con Preview that features a striking Avengers: Age of Ultron cover, complete with our first official look at the film's Ultron design. You can check out the full cover image via EW's Twitter.

For me, this is another case of not expecting to see so much so soon, but I suppose it makes sense. SDCC 2014 is next week, and the movie itself is only 10 months away at this point. Where does the time go?

As far as reveals go, this feels like a big one. The cover manages to give the basic gist of the design, and I think it captures Ultron well. A big part of the character's comic history has been a constant string of upgrades, so landing on one defining look can be tricky. The following example doesn't even scratch the surface:

From Kurt Busiek and George Perez's Ultron Unlimited arc, as collected in Avengers Assemble Vol. 2

Katsuhiro Harada Goes Through Wth Evo 2014 Tekken 7 Announcement

Tekken: the loveliest of family tales

Tekken project leader Katsuhiro Harada took the stage at Evo 2014 alongside designer Michael Murray to do a bit of damage control over the Tekken 7 announcement leak. Based on Harada's statements, the reveal was actually meant to take place at a later date (perhaps at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.) He handled the situation gracefully however, even joking that perhaps Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono was behind the leak. Despite whatever plans may have been in place before, the following announcement trailer was shown:

Tekken 7 Announcement Leak Diminished its Potential Excitement

King of the Iron Leak

While it was quickly taken down, AOL leaked a news video meant to reveal Tekken 7 earlier today. It's assumed this may have been meant to coincide with a special announcement at the Evo 2014 fighting game tournament, but the gun was jumped somehow.

Evo 2014 Smash Bros Stream Chat Goes Wild for Reggie Fils-Aime

Oh, hello.

In a nice surprise, the Super Smash Bros. Melee finals at the Evo 2014 fighting game tournament were introduced by a video from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. I'm pretty sure it was a heartfelt message thanking the Smash community for supporting the series for so long, but I have to admit I was pretty distracted by the Twitch chat going absolutely insane at the mere sight of the guy:

Evo 2014 Fighting Game Tournament Day 2: Highlights

They're destined to do this forever.

As you might expect, the second day of Evo 2014 was filled with many hours of fantastic high-level fighting game matches. There was even a bit of upcoming game news sprinkled in! The whole event can be a lot to take in, so let's look at a handful of highlights:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo proved yet again that it still has some life left. The match above is the 3 on 3 "X-Mania USA" grand final featuring Team M3 versus Team Japan 2. There was some solid play here, especially from Mao: a Vega player with a personality the size of the moon. Like many, I still absolutely adore this game, and it does the heart good to see it get a bit more time in the spotlight.

Evo 2014 Day 2 Closes with Street Fighter Matador Vega Short Film

Yodelayhee!

After the evening's final Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 matches, Evo 2014 Day 2 finished with a screening of Chubby Boy Films' short film Matador, an origin story for Street Fighter II boss character Vega (or Balrog if you prefer the original Japanese name.) If such things interest you, a Youtube upload is already available:

Magneto #7 Cover Has the Greatest "Come at Me Bro" Pose Ever

Welcome to die!

This is an excerpt of David Yardin's cover for the upcoming Magneto #7. It's an incredibly striking piece of art, but I couldn't help myself from subjecting it to the "Come at me, bro" meme:

Evo 2014 Day 1 Ultra Street Fighter IV Tournament Full of Upsets

Battle of the blondes

The first day of Evo 2014 is now behind us, and among its highlights were a ton of exciting Ultra Street Fighter IV matches. Interestingly, many of the game's most well renown top players were eliminated earlier than most would have predicted. Examples include:

Momochi (Ken) eliminating Dieminion (Guile)